Air, land, and water craft



April 6 1926.

A.J. HARPsTRITE AIR. LAND, AND WATER CRAFT Filed April 28, Sheets-Shea?I 1 April 6, 1926.

, '15579;656- A. J. HARPSTRlTE l AIR, LAND, AND WATER CRAFT vFiled April 2e, 1925 s sheets-sheet 2 Patented Api. e, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS J. HABPBTITE, Ol' LOE ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB 0l' ONE-HALI- '10 FREDERICK A. HABPSTRITE, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

' AIB, LAND, ANI) TVA'IEB;

imputation medapru as, ma smal no. sans.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS J HARP- s'rnrrn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of Callfornia, have inventednew and useful Improvements in 'an Air, Land, and Water Craft, of which the following is a specification.

This'invention relates to an air, 'land and water craft.l 1

An object is to provide a craft which may iiy, ride on water and run on land, and has a tilting main flying plane and includes a body provided with a tractor air propeller .havlng angular adjustment in the bow of the body. An object is to provide -a lock for securing the propeller in adjusted angle.-

Another object is to provide a motor pivotally mounted as nearly on its center of gravity as possible and having its vshaft on. the axis ofthe boat and carrying the tractor propeller. y 4 y, Otherr obects and advantages will be vmade mani st in the. following'specification; modifications, variations and adapta'- tions being deemed within the scope of the. invention. f

Fi re 1 is a side elevation of the craft, partfyubroken away; the tractor propeller 4and plane beingtipped up for Figure '2 is a plan of the contro` in the cock-pit.v Figure 3 is a detail of a' control latch. Figure 4 is a transverse section of air anchor or checking curtain. Figure 6 is va lan and section showing'the motor and t e tractor ropeller. Figure 7 is adetail showing t 4e propeller locking bolt. Figure 8'is a detail of the drive shaft bearing. Figure 9 is avertical section of the prow, showing the plane and'propeller adjusting slides. Figure 10 is a perspective of thecraft.

t The craft comprises'a boat body having lside. wall 2 joining a sloping deck 3 hav-- ing rigid side wings 4 braced at 5 and having tension lines 7 attached to a crossbeam 8 at the prow. This'has a foredeck 6 flight. Stabilizing, lateral wings 20, curvthe plane. Figure 5 is 'an edge view of the..

las lis slide 25. The .latter is securely aty tached at its top to a cross-beam 16 of the fin front of a pilot transom 9 from which the pilot has a clear view while occupying '6 the seat 10. j

An inner floor 12 forms tanks for carrying multiple supplies of fuelfoil and water, so that should one tank spring a leak, the other has a safety reserve. I

Watertight doors and covers 11 for manholes are provided where accessto interior is desired.

To obtain speed in flight, and also increase safety, an elongated, -tunnel-shaped top, main flying plane 15, of approved structural embodiment to reduce air resistance, is provided. The skeleton includes substantial crossbeams 16 on the endmostof which is arranged a rollable air-anchor orv transverse curtain 17 having leashes 18 running to the pilots controls in the cock pit. Bars 19 form front and rear stays for the extended lcurtain when it isused to retard 1 ing down, ar'e fixed along the main plane, yand spring outward therefrom well above its side edges, and from the ends of crossbeams 16. The plane,l5 is mounted, rearwardly of its longitudinal 'centen-on an axle 'l5 21 journaled in posts 22 extendingup from theboat. l. Positive'me'ans areprovided to vvary the. angle. of incidence, and auxiliary control means are provided in case the former means give way. vThe positive means includes a slide 25, slottedfupfor downy at 26, and being slidable ina bow standard 27 which is curved concentric to the axle 211,

plane 15, and has a rack 28 engaged by a gear 29 onashaft'30 geared at 31 lto a rod 32 extending back to 4the cock-pit` and having a hand wheel 33. Thus the lane can be tipped up or down and held y he tive, non-reversing worm gearing.

'The auxiliary plane control means inl cludes a. pair of reins 34 attached to the lane and to a Jwinding shaft 35 whch'pmay have a brake 86.

Direction of flight is controlled by a tail rudder 37 whose lines 38 run down to the pilot. e

The to of the plane is recessed at 40 to provide or retractlon of an upper propeller 41 on a shaft 42 which is telescopic in a stepshaft 43 having a loose gear 44 and a clutch 45 for lockin it on the shaft 43 at will, by the pilot, t rough lever 46.

A means for raising and lowerin the splined shaft 42 is rovided. This inc udes a collar 47 attache to an endless cable 48 secured on a spool shaft 49 back of seat 10. A uide tube 50 supports the shaft 43.

or land travel the boat has Wheels 51-52, the latter having steering gear 53, including a link 54 in stuffing boxes 55 in the boat walls 2.

A nose wheel 56 is used to aid in-landing.

A water propeller 57 has a shaft 58 with a clutch 59 to lock on a gear 60. This ear meshes with a gear 61 on the counter s iaft 62 which is geared to a lateral shaft 63, Figure 6. Gear 44 engages with driver gear 61 The shaft 63 extends upward and forward yand has a pinion 64 engaging loose gear 66, mounted on a transverse trunnion 67 on which a motor 68 is mounted with its shaft on the axis of the boat, and is bodily tiltable.

The motor shaft 69 is extended forward and carries the tractor propeller 70.

This shaft 69 has an end thrust bearing 71 in a box 7 2', on the end of atube 73,having pivotilugs 74 which' are journaled in a curved slide 75 concentric on the trunnion center and moving in a rigid guide 76 slotted at 77 to receive the shaft tube 73. The slide has a tooth-rack 78 enga ed by a pinion 79 by which the slide may e ralsed and lowered to change the angle of the propeller as to the boat. The motor tilts with the propeller.

Means are provided to shift the propeller slide by its pinion and here includes a cab1e`80 runnin-g back to a control Wheel 81, loose on a solid brace 82. The control wheels may be held by latches 83.

A bolt 84 has a wedge head 85 to jam in against the propeller slide 75 and lock it after desired adJustment. The bolt has a nut-wheel 86 back in the cock pit.

Diamond bracing 88 is used to strengthen the various parts Where necessary.

The loose gear 66 engages a pinion 90 on a stud-shaft 91 having a gear 92 driven by a driver 93 on the motor shaft 69. Thus the sun gear 66 is driven irrespective of the tiltin of the motor.

It 1s understood that oil, fuel and water supplies may be led to the adjustable motor through flexible conduits. y

What is claimed is:

1. A flying craft having a tractor propelamaee ler and a motor Whose shaft carries the propeller, the motor being trunnioned, and means for tilting the motor and its shaft to change the angle. of incidence of the propeller, and an independent locking means to hold the shaft at adjusted angle and having a remote control device for operatin the locking means While the craft is in ight.

2. A flying craft havin a motor trunnioned transversely and laving its shaft extendefha propeller fixed on the shaft and a slide in which the shaft has a bearing and by which the langle of the shaft may be varied and a remote control, locking means to Set the slide. Y

3. A flying craft having a tiltable motor with an extended shaft, a bearing close to the outer end of the shaft, a propeller on the outer end of the shaft and close to the bearing, a slide carrying the bearin means combined with the slide to tilt t e shaft and the motor, and a lock operative by a remote control for fastening the slide. l

4. A flying craft having a motor whose shaft has a propeller, a mount for the motor, and means to tilt the motorand its shaft to change the angle of the motor propeller axis, a counter-shaft, and a drive means oonnecting the tiltable motor shaft and the counter shaft.

5. A flying craft having a motor Whose shaft has a propeller, a mount for the motor, and means to tilt the motor and its shaft to change the angle of the motor propeller axis, a counter-shaft, and a drive means connecti the tiltable motor shaft and the counter s aft and a top propeller driven by the counter shaft.

6. A flying craft having a motor Whose shaft has a propeller, a mount for the motor, and means to tilt the motor and its shaft to change the angle of the motor propeller axis, a counter-shaft, and a drivel means connecting the tiltable motor shaft and the counter shaft and a water propeller driven by the counter shaft.

7. A craft having an air, tractor propeller, a motor having a shaft, a trunnion mount for the motor, a slide concentric to the trunnion, a bearing in the slide for the shaft and Whichis close up to the propeller to steady it, and means to adjust the slide and tilt the propeller, the shaft and the motor as a unit, said slide having a rack, gear means engaging the rack to actuate it, and a remote control lock for the slide.

8. A craft having an air, tractor propeller, a transversely trunmioned motor on whose shaft the propeller is mounted and tiltable therewith to vary its line of pull, a guide concentric to the trunnion of the motor, and a bearing movable along the guide and sup rting the outerend of the ropeller sha t close up to the propeller, and) operating means connected to the slide whereby to Lumens a vary the shaft angle during Hight and re- *centric to the motor trunnion, a slide in the mote control .locking means to hold4 the guide and means for shifting theslide to shaft at adjusted angle. vary the angle of the shaft, a shaft bearing 10 9. A craft having a tractor propeller momember in the slide; `said slide forming a 5 tor trunnioned in its bow and havin its closure for the shaft slot in the prow guide.

shaft extended through the nose of the w, a prow shell having aslotted guide con- AUGUSTUS J. HARPSTRITE. 

